Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
The US on Friday accused Hamas of misusing civilian infrastructure, including schools and hospitals, to store weapons and carry out attacks against Israel.
Under international law, schools and hospitals must be zones of peace, where civilians are given protection even in times of conflict.
“Hamas continues, day in and day out, to put civilians in harm's way through their tactics and use of these facilities,” US deputy ambassador to the UN Dorothy Shea told the Security Council, as ceasefire talks to end the Israel-Gaza war resumed in Qatar.
The US envoy urged council members to condemn Hamas for their actions and “call them out” for continuing to put Palestinian civilians in Gaza in the crosshairs. “Israel's fight is with Hamas and not the Palestinian civilians the terrorist group falsely purports to represent,” she added.
The Israeli army said on Friday that it had struck dozens of Hamas gathering points and command centres throughout Gaza over the past day. The UN Security Council convened for an emergency meeting at the request of Algeria to discuss Israel’s recent raid of the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza.
Israel's military said it had killed more than 20 suspected militants and detained more than 240 people, including the hospital's director, Dr Hussam Abu Safiya.
In a message to the UN high commissioner for human rights, Volker Turk, Israel's diplomatic mission in Geneva said that the hospital had been used by Hamas for military purposes, and Israeli operations were conducted with utmost caution to minimise civilian casualties, based on credible intelligence.
Mr Turk highlighted the gravity of the claims, which if confirmed, would suggest serious breaches of international law by Palestinian armed groups. However, he noted the lack of detailed evidence from Israel to back these claims.
“In some cases, they appear to be contradicted by publicly available information,” Mr Turk said. A report published on Tuesday by the UN Human Rights Office said “insufficient information” has been made available to substantiate Israeli accusations of military use of hospitals.
Tanya Haj Hassan, a doctor working in Gaza, joined via video call during the Security Council meeting at the UN headquarters in New York. She told the Security Council that Israel’s crimes are “beyond brutal”.
“No one is stopping Israel. They do whatever they want without any consequences. There's no such thing as international law or the law only applies to certain parts of the world, and not to us,” she said.
Israel's military has regularly accused Hamas of using hospitals as command centres, which the militant group denies. The Israeli army has conducted intense raids in Gaza's north since October, saying it is an effort to prevent Hamas militants from regrouping there.
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
THE BIO:
Sabri Razouk, 74
Athlete and fitness trainer
Married, father of six
Favourite exercise: Bench press
Must-eat weekly meal: Steak with beans, carrots, broccoli, crust and corn
Power drink: A glass of yoghurt
Role model: Any good man
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
Royal Birkdale Golf Course
Location: Southport, Merseyside, England
Established: 1889
Type: Private
Total holes: 18
Friday's schedule at the Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
GP3 qualifying, 10:15am
Formula 2, practice 11:30am
Formula 1, first practice, 1pm
GP3 qualifying session, 3.10pm
Formula 1 second practice, 5pm
Formula 2 qualifying, 7pm
The specs
Engine: 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 715bhp
Torque: 900Nm
Price: Dh1,289,376
On sale: now
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
European arms
Known EU weapons transfers to Ukraine since the war began: Germany 1,000 anti-tank weapons and 500 Stinger surface-to-air missiles. Luxembourg 100 NLAW anti-tank weapons, jeeps and 15 military tents as well as air transport capacity. Belgium 2,000 machine guns, 3,800 tons of fuel. Netherlands 200 Stinger missiles. Poland 100 mortars, 8 drones, Javelin anti-tank weapons, Grot assault rifles, munitions. Slovakia 12,000 pieces of artillery ammunition, 10 million litres of fuel, 2.4 million litres of aviation fuel and 2 Bozena de-mining systems. Estonia Javelin anti-tank weapons. Latvia Stinger surface to air missiles. Czech Republic machine guns, assault rifles, other light weapons and ammunition worth $8.57 million.
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Etwo%20permanent%20magnet%20synchronous%20motors%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Etwo-speed%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E625hp%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E850Nm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERange%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E456km%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Efrom%20Dh737%2C480%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Enow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
Healthcare spending to double to $2.2 trillion rupees
Launched a 641billion-rupee federal health scheme
Allotted 200 billion rupees for the recapitalisation of state-run banks
Around 1.75 trillion rupees allotted for privatisation and stake sales in state-owned assets
Race card
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,600m
5.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m
6pm: Arabian Triple Crown Round-1 Listed (PA) Dh230,000 (T) 1,600m
6.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,400m
7pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,200m
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 (T) 2,400m
Health Valley
Founded in 2002 and set up as a foundation in 2006, Health Valley has been an innovation in healthcare for more than 10 years in Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
It serves as a place where companies, businesses, universities, healthcare providers and government agencies can collaborate, offering a platform where they can connect and work together on healthcare innovation.
Its partners work on technological innovation, new forms of diagnostics and other methods to make a difference in healthcare.
Its agency consists of eight people, four innovation managers and office managers, two communication advisers and one director. It gives innovation support to businesses and other parties in its network like a broker, connecting people with the right organisation to help them further
